Propeller



me. 30, 1924- I 1,520,746

F. BOYCE ET AL PROPELLER Filed June 1923 lnveniors.

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Patented Dec. 39, 1924.

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

FRED r. BOYCE, or PORTLAND, AND CHAIR-LES B. RUTLEDGE, or scorn ron'rLANn,

MAINE.

PROPELLER.

Application filed June 29, 1923. Serial No. 648,633.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRED F. Boron and CHARLES B. RUTLEDGE, citizens of the United States, residing at Portland and South Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propellers, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to feathering and reversing propellers of that class in which the blades are disposed around a central hub and thrown from their normal or forward position into their reversing position 'or into the feathering position by having each blade freely rotate on the hub of the blade.

Our invention is designed particularly. as an improved construction of the propeller shown in Patents no. 938,291, dated Oct. 26, 1909, and No. 993,126, dated May 23, 1911.

In the above named patents, the shaft was provided with spherical hub having a groove therein.

The blades were journaled in the casing with a pin engaging the groove in the spherical hub. When the blade moved from one position to the other the pin passed along the groove in the spherical hub.

This construction while it accomplished the result desired, namely twisting the blades from the foward to the reverse position, it was a difficult and expensive construction to build and the pinssliding in the groove were subject to considerable friction so that the motion was not smooth. The shifting of the blades when in certain pos1- tions was liable to be checked by the friction of the pin.

Our invention consists in substituting for the spherical hub with its groove and the pin connecting with the propeller blades a simple mitre or bevel gear attached to the shaft and a like gear on the inner end of each of the blades engaging the mam gear whereby the blades are rotated into their several positions by the water pressure.

Stops are provided for limiting the rotation of the blades in the two opposite d1- rections.

We have illustrated our invention in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1, shows a plan of a two bladed propeller with the central portion shown in central horizontal section.

Fig. 2'is an end elevation looking from the entremity of one of the blades towards the center.

Fig. 3 is a face view of the inner end of the propeller blade with its bevel gear and,

Fig. 4 is a portion of the sectionshown in Fig. 1 including the sleeve with its bevel gear. 7

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents the tapering sleeve whichis keyed or otherwise secured to the rear end of the shaft.

At the forward end of the sleeve 1 is formed a mitre or bevel gear 2 which we call for convenience the main bevel gear.

Surrounding and inclosing the main bevel gear and the sleeve 1 is a casing 3 preferably with a horizontal joint separatin it into two parts this joint being indicatef by the dotted line 3' as shown in Fig.2.

The two halves of the casing 3 when placed together form at the two ends two annular hubs 5 and 6, the hub 5 fitting closely around the rear end of the sleeve 1 and the hub 6 fitting around the forward end of the sleeve. Both the two part hub 5 and 6 are screw-threaded and on each is screwed a ring. The ring 7 is screwed on the hub 5 and the ring 8 on. the hub 6 thus holding the two parts of. the hub together. V

Formed in the casing 3 laterally of the sleeve 1 are bearings 9, as here, shown two in number, in which are journaled the inner ends of the blades 10. Immediately outside of the bearings 9 the shank of the blade is enlarged to form a shoulder or collar which forms a bearing in the body of the casing and forms the surface on which it rotates and rests. Immediately within the cylindrical surface 1 L of the blade which rotates within the bearing is formed the bevel gear 15 which engages the bevel gear 2 on the sleeve or shaft. 7

The gear 15 is not a complete gear, as only a portion of it is used since the blade only rotates from its forward or normal position around to its reversed position or 180 degrees more or less.

For the purpose of checking or stopping the blades of the propeller in the normal or forward driving position, stops are formed on the casing adjacent to the shank with corresponding stops on the blade adapted to come in contact with them.

Stops 16 and 17 are formed on the casing. -and on the blade is formed the stop 18.

When the blade is rotating in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 2 the stop 18 comes in contact with the "stop 17. The blade is then in its forward driving position. \Vhen on the other hand the propeller is rotated in the opposite direction the other end of stop 18 comes in contact with stop 16. The propeller is then in the reverse position.

The total rotation to et the blade from one position into the ot er position is approximately 180v degrees or half a turn. The blades aremade' so the amount of surface onthe two sides of the center line of rotation are unequal and so that the prespresented to the water.

A propeller built according to may invention is much more cheaply made as standard mechanical motions are used and the blades turn more readily from one position to the other than when made in the old way set out in the patents above cited;

We claim Y 1; In a feathering and reversing propeller the combination of a shaft, a main bevel gear thereon, a casing inclosin'g said gear and connected to rotate with said shaft and said casing having laterally of said shaft a plurality of bearings,-propeller blades having their inner ends journaled in said bearings and each blade projecting more on one side of the center line than the opposite side, each of said blades having a bevel gear on its inner for holding said blades in and reverse positions.

2. A feathering and reversing propeller the combination of a shaft, a main bevel gear thereon, a casing inclosing said gear and having laterally of said shaft a plurality of bearings, propeller blades having t eir go-ahead their inner ends journaled in said bearings and each having'on sald inner end a bevel gear engaging said-main bevel gear, and stops on the outside of said casing for holding theblades in their go-aheadand reverse positions.

FRED F. BOYCE. CHARLES B. RUTLEDGE.

1 end engaging said main bevel ear, and stops 

